Eye Melanoma

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Eye melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, is a type of cancer that develops from the pigment-containing cells known as melanocytes in the eye.

In Australia ocular melanoma shows higher rates, with incidence of 8 -10 per million in men, and 6.1 -6.5 per million in women. Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world.

Australian melanoma incidence has increased by more than 30 per cent between 1991 and 2009. Overall age-standardised cancer incidence in Australia is the highest in the world, and this is attributable to melanoma alone.